Joseph h



(No Model.)

J. H. CAMPBELL. METHOD 0F UTILIZING AQUA AMMONIA ASl Av MOTIVE POWER IN ENGINES.

No. 337,372. 133333333 M31 9, 1333.

UWM/T013 'c7231 H, @ff/7449 wwwa/M Attorney NITED STATES PATENT Erica. 'i

JOSEPH H. CAMPBELL, OF NEVl7` YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF THREE-EIGHTHS TO CHARLES H. CAMPBELL AND JAMES MOLAIN, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

METHOD F UTlLlZlNG AQUA-AMMONIA AS A MOTIVE POWER IIN ENGINES.

SPECEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337.372, dated March 9, 1886.

Application tiled July 27` 1885. Serial No. 172,776. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. CAMPBELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Methods of Utilizing Aqua-Ammonia as aMotive Power in Engines, ot' which the followingis a specication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in the method of utilizing aqua-ammonia asa motorpower 1n engines. v

My invention consists in the method hereinafter described of introducing the vapor generated in the boiler into the storagereservoir below the surface of the liquid in said reservoir, thereby securing the absorption of the vapor and the heat developed by the absorption to superheat the vapor in the reservoir.

My invention consists, further, in regulating the tension of the vaporin both boiler and reservoir by the introduction of the binary liquid into either, as the pressure may require.

My invention consists, further, in the method of heating the cylinder, so as to superheat the working-vapor therein, by means of the exhaust-vapor from the cylinder, combined with a cool weak solution of aqua-ammonia under pressure, which absorbs the vapor, and thereby increases the temperature ofthe cylinder when broughtinto a chamber which surrounds the cylinder.

My invention consists, further, in the method of drawing oH from the chamber which surrounds the cylinder the vapor which is in excess of saturation, and thus preventing backpressure.

4o My invention consists, further, in the method hereinafter described of disseminating the heat of absorption by the neutralizing eii'ect of the expanded vapor Within the cylinder of the engine.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the drawing a longitudinal View, partly in section, of the boiler, reservoir, cylinder, cooler, absorber, pump, and valves which constitute my machine or in detail.

Y A indicates the boiler,which may be of any suitable or desirable construction, and is connected to and communicates with the reservoir B by means of the pipe C, said pipe be 55 ing provided with a plug-valve, a, and is designed to transfer the aqua-ammonia from the boiler to the reservoir, or vic-e versa, according to the required pressure or tension.

Bis the dynamical reservoir and superheat- 6o er, the upper portion of said chamber' being the superheater and the lower portion the dynamical reservoir.

D is a pipe leading from the upper portion or vaporspace of the boiler to the reservoir B, said pipe entering through the bottom of the reservoir and extending up into the same, where it is bent into a return-curve, so as to discharge the vapor below the surface of the liquid contained in the reservoir. The pipe 7o D is provided with a check-valve, c, to prevent the liquid in the reservoir from being forced back into the boiler,where the pressure in jthe reservoir is in excess of that in the boiler. This valve c opens upward, so as to allow the free passage of the vapor from the boiler to the reservoir.

The object of discharging the expelled vapor Iinto the reservoir below the surface of the liquid is to comply with the conditions ot'ab- 8o sorption-viz., bringing the liquid and vapor into contact. If the vapor were discharged above the surface of the liquid in the reservoir, since water will not transmit the radiant heat of steam, and the diathermancy of ammoniacal vapor is only 1.1195,(air being 1,) a nondiathermic diaphragm is formed by the heated surface of the liquid,which not only prevents ,the heat from passing down into the reservoir,

but also acts as a barrier to prevent the re` 9c solution ofthe expelled vapor with the liquid in the reservoir; consequently the heat of absorption is not generated to superheat the vapor in the reservoir. The boiler A is also connected to the reservoir by the pipe E, which extends up into the vapor-space of the reservoir and returns by a series of coils, d, down to or near the water-line, and then straight through the liquid and bottom of the reservoir B. n

The object of coiling the pipe E in the vapor-space of the reservoir is to increase its IOO heating-surface to superheat the vap'or,so that the tension of the vapor therein contained can be raised to the propel' working-pressure without materially changing the temperat-ure of the fluid in the reservoir; and,furthermore,the liquid in its passage through the coil gives off a certain amount of its heat to theliquid and vapor in the reservoir, thereby becoming partially cool before entering the cooler F.

The pipe E, after passing through the bottom ofthe reservoir B, is coiled, as shown at e, said coil being inclosed in a chamber, F,which is supplied with cold water byineans of the pipe f. The object of thus cooling the weak Solutionofaqua-aminoniawhichpasses through this pipe is to restore its absorptive power before it is brought'into contact with the exhaust-vapor.

The pipe E is provided with a valve, G, of the well-known type of safety-valves, the head of said valve being provided with an elbowlever, H, having a weight, 1`, on its horizontal arm, said weight being adapted to be adjusted on said arm,so as to hold the valve open and allow the free passage of the hot liquid from the boiler to the coil 0f the pipe E in the reservoir B.

The vertical arm of thelever passes up vinto a stuiiing-box, K, which is connected to the' reservoir B by a pipe, L, so thatwhen the pressure in the reservoir rises above the desired point it causes the valve G to close and shut oli' the i'low of the hot liquid from the boiler A. to the reservoir B through that portion ofthe pipe E until the vapor-pressurein the latter is reduced to the proper workingpoint. v Y

In order to maintain under boilerpressu're a constant supply of the cooled weak solution Suioieut to absorb the exhaust-vapor vfrom the engine,a pipe, M, is connected to that part of the pipe E which is between the safetyvalve and the boiler, so that when the valve Gr' closes and cuts oft the supply of hot liquid through the pipe and coil within the reservoir the valve g may be opened and the liquid allowed to tlow uninterruptedly from the boiler through the coil e into the cooler F by way of the pipe M.

` N is a pipe provided with a throttle-valve,

`h,which connects the reservoir B with thel cylinder O, through which pipe the proper` amount of vapor is admitted to work the piston of the cylinder, the exhaust-vapor from the cylinder being carried u p through the pipe f AP, where it meets with the cooled weak solution from the boiler, aswill now be described.

The pipe E, after leaving the cooler F, ex-

tends npward some considerable distanceabove the cylinder, where, by means of a T- joint, it is connected to the pipe Qin a nozzle or contracted portion,i. Thepipel? isalso connected to the upper end of the pipeQ, by meansf jacketedspaceR of the cylinder, and by which means the cylinder is keptat the proper working-temperaturewholly by t-heheat of absorption. If the cylinder is not thus protected, on account of the low boiling-point of ammonia and the comparatively high temperature of the working-vapor, a very wide range of tem? peratures is possible. The great depression oftemperature within the cylinder,consequent upon the expansion oi' the vapor, would cool the body of the cylinder to such an extent that a great portion of the heat carried into the cylinder bythe vapor wouldl be-required to restore ythe cylinder to the proper workingtemperature. It has been found in practice that the vapor entering the cylinder at 195 temperature and let Ydown through the cylin# der by expansion is exhausted at 40, which depression would be further increased by an earlier cut-off within the cylinder. By the above process the body of the cylinder can alwaysbe maintained at atemperatureof 150, however low the temperature of the exhaust may be.

I will .remark in this-connection that the cold weak solution is sprayed into the upperA end ofthe pipe Qunder boiler-pressure, and carrieslwith it the exhaust-vapor from the pipe P, said vapor being readily absorbed in the liquid, by reason oi' its reduced temperature, and by reason of its being sprayed or forcedinto mechanical union with the vapor by the pressure from the boiler.

S is a pipe of smaller diameterthan theplpc E, and communicates therewith by meaus'of the T-joint, the lower end of said pipe S being connected to a pipe, T, leading to the absorber'V. v

Wis a pipe leading from the jacketed space ofthe cylinder to theabsorber V, through which the liquid is passed to the absorber after having done its workin heating the cylinder.

As before stated, the exhaust-vaporfrom IOO 'IIO

the cylinder which Vhas passed up through the y the pipe E is forceddown under pressure into the jacketed space of the cylinder, where it gives oli' its heat t0 keep the cylinder at theY` proper working-temperature. This, as a natu.- `ral consequence, after workingffor some time; raisesthe temperature in the jacketed space to such an extent as to revaporize a portion of the absorbed vapor, and in order to prevent the back-pressure of the vapor thus rev-aporized from interfering with the proper Working, of the piston A I connect the jacketed space of the cylinder with the pipe S, leading to the absorber, by means of the pipe A4. This arrangement enables the vapor formed in' the j acketed space to pass out and be brought into contact'with the cooled weaksolution iu the pipe S when the vapor is absorbed, and

passes down into the absorbing -ehamber Vf.

can pass through the pipe S is required t0 absorb the vapor from the cylinder, I connect the pipe E with the pipe T by means of the pipe B. This enables me to bring the requisite amount of cold solution into contact With the vapor from the jacketed space to effect a complete absorption of the Vapor. The absorber V is supplied with the requisite amount of Water to cool the liquid by means of the pipe f, which also supplies the cooler F. The solution, after leaving the absorber V, is forced baekinto the boiler A or reservoir B, through the pipes C D', by means of the pump E', the pipes C and D being provided with valves ab, respectively, which enables the operator to admit the solution into either the boiler or the reservoir. This is animportant feature in my invention, as it enables the operator to increase or decrease the tension in both boiler and reservoir as occasion may require.

It will be noticed that the vapor enters the cylinder at a temperature of 230, having a corresponding pressure of sixty pounds to the square inch, is cut off at an early point in the stroke, as is the case in working steam expansively, and is expanded down through the remaining portion of the stroke. On account of the high pressure at this low tempera-ture, 230, the vapor will be exhausted at an exceedingly low temperature. body ot' the cylinder from having the same temperature, the exhaust-vapor and the Weak cooled solution are united in the jacket of the cylinder. While the heat generated by this union tends to maintain the cylinder at a high temperature, the heat is thus disseminated that would otherwise be carried over to the absorber and to this extent assists, or is auxiliary to the absorber.

.Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

l. In a vapor-engine, the method herein described of securing the absorption of the vapor and the heat developed by the absorption to superheat the vapor in the reservoir,

To prevent the vapor from the cylinder with a cool weak solution of aqua-ammonia under pressure in a chamber which surrounds the cylinder, as set forth.

4. In a vapor-engine, the methodherein described of preventing back-pressure on the lpiston of the engine, the same consisting in drawing from the chamber which surrounds the cylinder the vapor which is in excess ot' saturation by means of a stream or current of the cool Weak solution under pressure from the boiler, as set forth.

5. A vaporengine in which the vapor is worked expansively in the cylinder, the method herein described of disseminating the heat of absorption produced by the union of the cold weak solution and the exhaust-vapor within the jacket of the cylinder, the same consisting in joining or combining the exhaustvapor from the cylinder with a Weak solution under boiler-pressure in the jacket of the cyl inder, thus neutralizing the effect of the expanded Vapor Wit-hin the cylinder, and the consequent fall of temperature resulting from such expansion.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH H. CAMPBELL.-

Witnesses:

N. D. ADAMS, J AMES MCLAIN. 

